Monday, September 17, 2012

The Kel-Tec PMR-30 is, without a doubt, the finest anti-zombie pistol ever made.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (from the Kel-Tec website)

Calibers:

.22 Magnum

(.22WMR)

Weight unloaded:

13.6oz.

385.6g

Loaded Magazine:

6oz.

170.1g

Length:

7.9"

200.7mm

Height:

5.8"

147.3mm

Width:

1.3"

33.0mm

Barrel length:

4.3"

109.2mm

Sight radius:

6.9"

175.3mm

Energy (40gr):

138ft-lbs

187J

Capacity:

30 rounds

Trigger pull:

4-6 lbs

17.8-26.7N

Not that I'd ever want to be within pistol distance of a zombie, mind you; I think they are best eliminated sniper-style, over a range of several hundred yards. But if I had to clear a house in the zombie apocalypse, this is what I'd want to use.

Why? Well, let's start with the big reason: It has a thirty-round magazine. If zombie movies have taught me anything, it's that you run out of ammunition at a fast rate. With 30 rounds in your gun, you will be changing magazines less often. And carrying extras won't be a problem: the magazine is almost all polymer (I think that the spring is the only metallic component) which makes it very light, and the .22 Magnum round it carries is also very light. Three full magazines would be negligible weight; six would be barely noticed. I imagine (though I cannot prove) that 10 magazines -- 300 rounds -- would constitute a manageable combat load. Bulk would be more of an issue than weight.

Comes with two magazines: one in the pistol, and one spare.

Actually, I think the real issue would be continued supply of ammunition. On the good side, the .22 WMR is a commonly available (if pricey) cartridge, such that stocking up prior to Z-Day, or scavenging supplies in wrecked Wal-Marts post-Z, is entirely possible. On the bad side, it's a rimfire cartridge, meaning that it can't be reloaded. And the manual specifically says not to use anything but .22 WMR, so no loading it with .22 Long Rifle.

But the best thing about the pistol is that it is screamingly accurate. Bright fiber-optic sights make target acquisition easy, even in dim lighting. The .22 WMR cartridge is essentially flat-shooting, and its already low recoil is further mitigated by a full-size frame.

Sexy fibre-optic sights.

In short, the pistol handles exactly how you imagined guns worked as a kid: you pull the trigger, there is a flash and a bang, and the muzzle rises a little. There is barely any kick to it, and follow-up shots are fast and easy.

THE TALE OF THE TAPE
Some photographic evidence to back up my claim. All shooting was performed at an indoor range under artificial light.

A full magazine at 25 feet (left) and 50 feet (right). The last 5 rounds of each magazine were shot quick-fire, to test how easily I could re-acquire a target. As you can see, accuracy degrades with distance, but since the last 5 rounds were quick-fire, and there are 5 hits in the 7 ring, the decreased accuracy might be due to speed of shooting.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm sure a better-trained shooter could wring far more accuracy from this pistol.

Headshots at 12.5 feet (left) and 25 feet (right); 30 and 10 rounds, respectively. I leave it as a matter of debate whether or not missing the Shoot-N-C but still hitting the head counts as a hit or a miss.

OTHER THINGS I LIKE
In no particular order:

The pistol is full-sized but extremely light, yet still absorbs recoil.

Integral accessory rail for mounting a laser or flashlight.

Top slide comes already drilled and tapped for mounting a sight.

Controls are ambidextrous and easy to manipulate.

Magazines have windows for every 5 rounds.

Magazines insert and remove easily and ambidextrously.

Grid squares are 1".

THINGS I DON'T LIKE
Also in no particular order:

The pistol requires a tool (a punch or unspent bullet) to remove a pin before you can field-strip it.

Getting the slide off is a bit of a trick. I discovered that once the pin was removed, racking and releasing the slide was the best way to get it started down the track.

The recoil spring is not the easiest thing in the world to remove. I had to grab the spring, pull it toward the muzzle, and practically wrestle it out of place. Fortunately, putting it back together is much less difficult.

The length of the .22 Magnum round means the grip is surprisingly wide. However, Kel-Tec can't really do anything about that.

THINGS WHICH ARE NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
There is a special way to load the magazines, which is clearly illustrated in the manual. If you try to load the magazine the traditional way, not only will it be a lot harder, the cartridges will seize and bind. Do yourself a favor and Read The Manual.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS PISTOL
Absolutely yes. It's a bit of a specialty gun, to be clear, but I would recommend it for the following uses:

As a farm, kit, truck or trail gun. Not only can it be used on small game, or against varmints such as foxes or coyotes, the muzzle flash and loud bang of the magnum could serve as further discouragement to larger predators such as wolves and mountain lions.

As a training gun for novice shooters who have progressed past .22LR but are not yet ready for the increased recoil of larger calibers. The combination of flash, loud bang, but low recoil would be excellent in helping them overcome anticipatory flinch.

As a self-defense pistol for those who find regular pistols too heavy, or recoil too severe. The only drawback to this is that its full-size frame could make it difficult to carry concealed.*

The PMR-30 is a fun pistol, and you owe it to yourself to shoot it at least once in your life.

It is a specialty pistol, I grant you, and I would not want it in a war zone (zombies excepted). But for what it is -- trail gun, varminter, trainer -- it does its job very well.

*I think that if Kel-Tec were to sell a model with a shorter barrel and 20-round magazine, it would be a dandy concealed-carry pistol for the elderly and the infirm.**** A version in .22 LR would probably also sell very well, since the leading semi-auto pistol in that caliber is has a magazine capacity of only 10 rounds.

EDITED TO ADD:
Yes, I am aware that about 1 in 10 rounds seem to keyhole. Several astute readers pointed this out to me and explained why this is bad. I sincerely thank them for curing my ignorance.

It is my understanding that keyholing was an issue with earlier versions of this gun, and they have since increased the twist rate of the barrel. In addition, the manual makes it plain which ammunition to use.

34 comments:

I've heard that the PMR30 understabilizes the round, resulting in keyholing (bullet fishtailing or flying sideways). And I think I'm seeing that in some of the closer-ranged shots. What's aggravating is that it isn't all of them. I hate inconsistent errors, as that makes diagnosis and correction difficult.

The following cartridges are NOT recommended, also per manual:* Armscor 40gr* Fiocchi 40gr* Winchester Dynapoint 45gr* Winchester Supreme 30gr* Any other Non-U.S. made ammunition

I have it for 90 days, so I'm going to keep it a bit longer. I want my mom to shoot it, and one of the guys at my local gun store wants to give it a whirl. I will of course post the results from any further shooting!

I agree with everything except discouraging mountain lions. Mountain lions are not easily discouraged. I have seen them sit and just blink, showing mild curiosity, as .44 Magnum rounds were fired over their heads! Comes of being a top predator, I suppose.

Well, I was operating under the assumption that the bullets would actually be hitting them, not passing harmlessly over their heads. (Never ever fire a warning shot, because you don't know where it may end up.) I figured the noise and pain would equal "This isn't prey, I have a sudden need to be elsewhere."

I acknowledge that the PMR-30is a specialty gun. However, an H&K MP7 also makes for a bulky trail gun.

I think that the PMR-30's light weight and large magazine capacity, coupled with the ability of the .22WMR to make most woodland targets go away (either by running or by death) makes it a handy piece of equipment to have in the wilderness.

Coupled with the PS-90, you got yourself a great anti-zombie kit! PS-90 holds 50 rounds and has slightly more punch than a .22. But don't forget about the living threats during a ZA. Of course, with 30 rounds on tap, you should be able to take care of most things...except a Terminator but that's a different story. Excellent write-up and review. I compromise and go 15 rounds of 9mm.

this is quite true. it also needs to group a lot tighter before i get my wallet out. the downfall of all .22 mag platforms has always been extraction as .22 mag is very long and skinny and high-pressured for its size. feeding this cartridge, with its attendant large rim is also a reason every other attempt has met with tears.

Ms. Erin, thank you for the review and personal comments. The keyholing has been a charactristic of the PMR30 from early on. However, as the bullet tumbles through the target leaving a LARGER than normal hole I don' t have a problem with that. Again, thanks for the review. (Pssst....30 rounds!)

Not saying they don't get bigger, but most cats out here in Washington are around 100 pounds. I think somewhere between 4-30 rounds of 22 mag would have be a serious deterant to a cougar...but like you said, put in them, not over them.

What was the muzzle blast like? Back in my college days a Fluke impulse sound lever meter follow me from the school lab to the desert one weekend. There is obligingly made measurements of the maximum SPL foe several handguns. I was somewhat surprised when the 22 magnums were slightly higher than the 357 magnum.

I find it kind of funny that H&K is getting all sorts of grief for not marketing what would be a heavier and bulkier version of this pistol chambered in a much more expensive and hard to find caliber that would cost 4 (or more) times as much money.

check out http://www.thektog.org/forum/f90/ if you haven't... the PMR-30 gold mine.

there's a pretty good under over rail you can put on the PMR (or glocks, or ...) that provide for using a variety of other optics at MUCH less cost than a doctor optic...

http://www.thektog.org/forum/f90/pmr-30-optics-options-247612/

oh, and maybe it's me, but i find that i can usually remove the take down pin with my fingers - pushing it in as far as i can and then some with a finger pad, and then using the finger nails to extract. could be my super power :)

So, apparantly the 40gr CCI Maxi-Mag is a good choice for reliable functioning, as KelTec said. (They didn't say boo about its accuracy, did they? Probably just did a couple of mag dumps with it to establish reliability, and any accuracy testing lots were probably some cheaper ammo.)

The Fine Print

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